Alexander Ilin-Tomich

Professor Alexander Ilin-Tomich serves as an Acting Professor at the Institute of Egyptology within the Department of History and Cultural Studies at the Free University of Berlin. His academic career spans multiple prestigious institutions including Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz and the Russian Academy of Sciences.

His educational background includes:

• 2022: Habilitation in Egyptology at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz with thesis "Egyptian name scarabs from the 12th to the 15th Dynasty: Geography and chronology of production"
• 2007-2011: Doctoral studies at Lomonosov University Moscow, earning "kandidat istoriceskich nauk" (equivalent to PhD)
• 2002-2007: Undergraduate studies in Ancient History (including Egyptology) at Lomonosov University Moscow

Professor Ilin-Tomich specializes in Egyptian stelae, offering tables, scarabs, personal names, prosopography, and administration during the Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period. His research combines philological, archaeological, and historical approaches to examine ancient Egyptian society, with particular focus on administrative structures, material culture, and regional variations. His work on scarab production and distribution has established him as a leading expert in this specialized field.

His publication record demonstrates consistent focus on Middle Kingdom administration, with recent expansion into material analysis of Egyptian blue pigment and methodological approaches to studying small archaeological finds. He has developed significant digital resources including the open-access "Personen und Namen des Mittleren Reiches" database.

Professor Ilin-Tomich has secured multiple competitive research grants:

• Fritz Thyssen Foundation project "Ancient Egyptian titles in official and familial contexts, 2055-1352 BC" (2021-2024)
• Fritz Thyssen Foundation project "Transformation and variability in the corpus of ancient Egyptian personal names 2055-1550 BC" (2017-2021)
• Alexander von Humboldt Foundation postdoctoral fellowship (2015-2017)
• Russian Foundation for the Humanities research grant (2013-2015)

He actively contributes to the academic community through editorial work, including co-editing the 2023 Festschrift "Schöne Denkmäler sind entstanden. Studien zu Ehren von Ursula Verhoeven," and has established himself as a key researcher in Middle Kingdom studies through his monographs and numerous journal articles.